When it comes to democracy, naming a ship Boaty McBoatface should raise a smile for most, but Donald J Trump as the next President of the United States, hmm, not so sure.
At least during his nearly-an-acceptance-speach on the news this morning, he sounded statesman-like, calling for unity and wotnot. Let's hope that is the real DJT, and that he has left behind his more dubious personality characteristics as he takes on one of the, if not the, biggest political jobs in the world*.
=======================
* My old boss used to say (and he was not the only one) that you should not write publicly anything bad about a person that you would not say to their face. That also goes for avoiding libellous content.
Friday, 21 October 2016
Taking a break
Things are hotting up with my deal. We have a client meeting next week, when the new team (of which I am one) will meet the client, and we start to really refine (or in some cases define) the requirements for the deal. This may seem odd to the lay person, us having already released to them a rough order of magnitude proposal, aka a RoM, however the truth is that at nn we have a much more developed RoM process, and a different way of handling risk, than Starfleet. At Starfleet, in broad strokes, the approach was to avoid risk at all costs; they were a very risk-averse organisation. This means that a RoM can be as detailed as an open to acceptance proposal.
At nn, we embrace risk with caution and appropriate boundaries, which means that firstly that our clients are not bombared with all that we will not do, but also they are get what they want, and so do we. It also makes the RoM process a "that looks complex, call it half a million" type estimation process, rather than a "all the solutioning, but more relaxed coz it is not open to acceptance" approach of Starfleet.
It is all very interesting, and not a process I have been through fully too many times so far at nn, and with a new process introduced now also, it is harder (in that a process I did not know very well anyway has changed) and easier (a process I did not know has changed, so everyone is at broadly the same phase of understanding) for a relative newbie like me. Oh well, as the old saying goes, you cannot learn less (unless you are an American voter, it seems).
To be honest, I cannot wait, at long last, to get properly stuck in to a deal, meet the client, really start working my booty* and getting some experience and credibility under my belt.
The only issues is that I have taken next week off, since it is half term. I therefore plan to work on Wednesday, the day of the meeting, but have the rest of the week off. This is a good plan, made slightly dodgy only because on Tuesday night we are planning to attend a wine tasting evening. I suspect I shall be spitting rather than swallowing**.
We don't have any football this weekend, so will need to find useful, interesting, meaningful and "for all the family" things to do, which will be a challenge. Maggot 1 has a sleepover on Monday and Maggot 2 on Thursday, so the week will be puntuated by Maggots of various sizes invading our front room, but we don't mind, and the Maggots love it. Rather they were here, under our roof, than on a park bench in some dodgy part of town***.
We are at A&E on Saturday night for a Mexican-themed evening, complete, apparently, with sombreros and moustaches. Should be fun, and we will hopefully see a bunch of folks we have not seen for a while, including Brad and Angelina.
Have a great weekend****, and speak next week.
=====================================
* not sure that is the right term. Ed
** really? Ed
*** Yes, they really do exist, even here down south
**** Just a routine reminder for Gorse Fox that for most of us, weekends are those two days when you are not at work
At nn, we embrace risk with caution and appropriate boundaries, which means that firstly that our clients are not bombared with all that we will not do, but also they are get what they want, and so do we. It also makes the RoM process a "that looks complex, call it half a million" type estimation process, rather than a "all the solutioning, but more relaxed coz it is not open to acceptance" approach of Starfleet.
It is all very interesting, and not a process I have been through fully too many times so far at nn, and with a new process introduced now also, it is harder (in that a process I did not know very well anyway has changed) and easier (a process I did not know has changed, so everyone is at broadly the same phase of understanding) for a relative newbie like me. Oh well, as the old saying goes, you cannot learn less (unless you are an American voter, it seems).
To be honest, I cannot wait, at long last, to get properly stuck in to a deal, meet the client, really start working my booty* and getting some experience and credibility under my belt.
The only issues is that I have taken next week off, since it is half term. I therefore plan to work on Wednesday, the day of the meeting, but have the rest of the week off. This is a good plan, made slightly dodgy only because on Tuesday night we are planning to attend a wine tasting evening. I suspect I shall be spitting rather than swallowing**.
We don't have any football this weekend, so will need to find useful, interesting, meaningful and "for all the family" things to do, which will be a challenge. Maggot 1 has a sleepover on Monday and Maggot 2 on Thursday, so the week will be puntuated by Maggots of various sizes invading our front room, but we don't mind, and the Maggots love it. Rather they were here, under our roof, than on a park bench in some dodgy part of town***.
We are at A&E on Saturday night for a Mexican-themed evening, complete, apparently, with sombreros and moustaches. Should be fun, and we will hopefully see a bunch of folks we have not seen for a while, including Brad and Angelina.
Have a great weekend****, and speak next week.
=====================================
* not sure that is the right term. Ed
** really? Ed
*** Yes, they really do exist, even here down south
**** Just a routine reminder for Gorse Fox that for most of us, weekends are those two days when you are not at work
Monday, 17 October 2016
relaxing times
I am obviously so relaxed that I forgot to blog on Friday, so rather than tell you what I am going to be doing, I can tell you what I did.
Well, we had football training Saturday for Maggot 2, Maggot 1 doing his second weekend as an Assistant Tennis Coach (capitals are important, expecially for his developing CV).
On Saturday evening, David and Samantha and their two Maggotettes came over for a "holiday reunion" evening. It started with the Scobi clan, in their swimsuits, dancing to a tune that was part of our "water aerobics" routine whilst on holiday. You had to be there really. We looked at photos and had a lovely evening of food, chat, and a little drink. I was keeping it very light on the alcohol, since I am still in recovery, but I did have a couple of gin and tonics, a drink I found again whilst on holiday, and one that is just right when you want something, but not too much of it.
Sunday was a big day for Maggot 2. It was the last game in his mini-league, and a win would secure a cup. The team we were playing had, but their coach's own admission, been battered by every team in the league so far, so on paper it should have been an easy win. However, as any pundit worth their salt will tell you, football is played on grass, not on paper, and so it was that, slightly against the run of play, they were 1-0 up at half time. It was a fantastic counter-attack with their diminuative front man (he only reached the shoulders or our team) out-paced our fastest defender to slot home a nicely taken goal. To be fair, our team was not playing badly, but we were playing directly in to a strong wind that, in my view (but not those of some of my fellow parents) was the dominant factor in the game. So it was that in the second half, after a briefing from our coach along the lines of "you got yourselves in to this mess, you can get yourself out if it", they soon equalised, and then went on to win 4-1, with the wind, as already said, playing a major part in the game. We battered them, the ball rarely left their half, and their goal kicks became a chance for one of our team to have a long shot at goal, so predictably did possession fall to us, the poor keeper unable to kick it far enough with the wind against him. It was a good win, keeps our winning streak going, and gets us some more silverware. Maggot 2 also scored, which will help his confidence, which has been dipping a bit of late. He also had a very good game, working hard on and off the ball. Overall, a great result.
I hope you had a great weekend, speak Friday (if I can be bothered).
Well, we had football training Saturday for Maggot 2, Maggot 1 doing his second weekend as an Assistant Tennis Coach (capitals are important, expecially for his developing CV).
On Saturday evening, David and Samantha and their two Maggotettes came over for a "holiday reunion" evening. It started with the Scobi clan, in their swimsuits, dancing to a tune that was part of our "water aerobics" routine whilst on holiday. You had to be there really. We looked at photos and had a lovely evening of food, chat, and a little drink. I was keeping it very light on the alcohol, since I am still in recovery, but I did have a couple of gin and tonics, a drink I found again whilst on holiday, and one that is just right when you want something, but not too much of it.
Sunday was a big day for Maggot 2. It was the last game in his mini-league, and a win would secure a cup. The team we were playing had, but their coach's own admission, been battered by every team in the league so far, so on paper it should have been an easy win. However, as any pundit worth their salt will tell you, football is played on grass, not on paper, and so it was that, slightly against the run of play, they were 1-0 up at half time. It was a fantastic counter-attack with their diminuative front man (he only reached the shoulders or our team) out-paced our fastest defender to slot home a nicely taken goal. To be fair, our team was not playing badly, but we were playing directly in to a strong wind that, in my view (but not those of some of my fellow parents) was the dominant factor in the game. So it was that in the second half, after a briefing from our coach along the lines of "you got yourselves in to this mess, you can get yourself out if it", they soon equalised, and then went on to win 4-1, with the wind, as already said, playing a major part in the game. We battered them, the ball rarely left their half, and their goal kicks became a chance for one of our team to have a long shot at goal, so predictably did possession fall to us, the poor keeper unable to kick it far enough with the wind against him. It was a good win, keeps our winning streak going, and gets us some more silverware. Maggot 2 also scored, which will help his confidence, which has been dipping a bit of late. He also had a very good game, working hard on and off the ball. Overall, a great result.
I hope you had a great weekend, speak Friday (if I can be bothered).
Friday, 7 October 2016
Glad that one is over
We have all been ill this week. LO had Monday and Tuesday off*, Maggot 2 had those, plus Wednesday and Thursday. I have also been ill and ticking things over, but without travelling. This is the bug that keeps on giving since we all have the same symptoms, and it has made this week pretty yuk.
This meant we had some interesting sleeping arrangements; I was on Maggot 1's bed, so I could cough and not sleep without upsetting the others, whilst Maggot 1 was on a put-me-up in with LO, and Maggot 2 had my space in our bed. It is like some slightly bizarre version of The Waltons. It did mean we all got the best night of sleep that was available to each of us. For me, let's just say that I have nearly finished a book (part 3 of the J K Rowling written detective series) in four days.
We are now back in our own beds, and Maggot 2 is back to school today, though to be honest he is not 100%, but, I hope, he is good enough to get through the day. Plus, being at school gets him back in the real world with a vengence that should get him on the road to normal life quicker.
Maggot 1 has moved his drumming lesson to this evening so that he can then do his first morning as Assistant Tennis Coach**, which should be fun, will get him out the house doing something physical, and will get him some pocket money.
If Maggot 2 is well enough, (i.e. if the kill or cure go back to school approach is positive) then we should have training tomorrow and a match Sunday. The team have their new home kit now, which was funded by us having a sponsored run - his best pal has his and we may pick it up after school today - and the training/away kits should be coming fairly soon via the club, who somehow managed to wangle a deal that if we return all our old club-logo'd match shirts, then whoever is the maker (cannot remember which company) will provide new shirts at not cost. Result.
Slightly sad for the boy, but our team is one lighter this week as we had to ask him, via his dad, to not be part of the team anymore. The issue was with the dad, who has been creating some unecessary tension with both the coaches, to the point that both had considered giving it all up. We could not have that, since they are both valued and very good for the team, so the dad had to go, and his son with it. Sad for the lad, good for the team.
The other side benefit is that we now have 12, rather than 13, from which to pick the team of 9. Ideally, we would want only 2 subs, 3 at most, so if all boys were available, then they were having to take turns in "being the thirteenth man", and not playing that week. Reducing our numbers by one means this will be less of an issue.
As I may have previously discussed, we have moved from 7 to 9-a-side teams, so over the Summer we had been trialling various people, since we needed to bolster our numbers, and also we needed to find a goalie. The goalie, G, is Maggot 2's best friend, and was previously the attacking mid-fielder and captain of the team (being a Liverpool fan, he would like to be called the Gerrard of our team), so not someone we naturally wanted to lose from the field by him going in goal. Our main coach was not keen at all, but in the end he relented, and G took the number 1 shirt, and he has done a fantastic job. He is a little smaller than average for the age, so size might be an issue, however he is a fantastic shot-stopper (indeed, we won our last tournament because of his saves in the penalty shootout), he has a big kick*** and he, obviously, is also a footballer, so is another player at the back when we have to work it round the back up the opposite wing.
So, we lost him from the outfield team, but managed to sign up three new players, all of which have some skill and potential, and have fitted in to the team well.
Otherwise, it will hopefully be a fairly relaxing weekend, with some football and some dancing on the TV.
I hope you are well, and have a great weekend. Speak next week.
============================
* To be frank, she was not right, but felt she had to go in coz she had the Auditors in for the rest of the week
** Certainly how we will be describing it on his CV
*** Another change this year is that the opposition no longer need to retreat to the half-way line for goal kicks. This has made the goal kick a real danger, with the attacking team able to gain a big advantage if the keeper has a small kick or is indecisive
This meant we had some interesting sleeping arrangements; I was on Maggot 1's bed, so I could cough and not sleep without upsetting the others, whilst Maggot 1 was on a put-me-up in with LO, and Maggot 2 had my space in our bed. It is like some slightly bizarre version of The Waltons. It did mean we all got the best night of sleep that was available to each of us. For me, let's just say that I have nearly finished a book (part 3 of the J K Rowling written detective series) in four days.
We are now back in our own beds, and Maggot 2 is back to school today, though to be honest he is not 100%, but, I hope, he is good enough to get through the day. Plus, being at school gets him back in the real world with a vengence that should get him on the road to normal life quicker.
Maggot 1 has moved his drumming lesson to this evening so that he can then do his first morning as Assistant Tennis Coach**, which should be fun, will get him out the house doing something physical, and will get him some pocket money.
If Maggot 2 is well enough, (i.e. if the kill or cure go back to school approach is positive) then we should have training tomorrow and a match Sunday. The team have their new home kit now, which was funded by us having a sponsored run - his best pal has his and we may pick it up after school today - and the training/away kits should be coming fairly soon via the club, who somehow managed to wangle a deal that if we return all our old club-logo'd match shirts, then whoever is the maker (cannot remember which company) will provide new shirts at not cost. Result.
Slightly sad for the boy, but our team is one lighter this week as we had to ask him, via his dad, to not be part of the team anymore. The issue was with the dad, who has been creating some unecessary tension with both the coaches, to the point that both had considered giving it all up. We could not have that, since they are both valued and very good for the team, so the dad had to go, and his son with it. Sad for the lad, good for the team.
The other side benefit is that we now have 12, rather than 13, from which to pick the team of 9. Ideally, we would want only 2 subs, 3 at most, so if all boys were available, then they were having to take turns in "being the thirteenth man", and not playing that week. Reducing our numbers by one means this will be less of an issue.
As I may have previously discussed, we have moved from 7 to 9-a-side teams, so over the Summer we had been trialling various people, since we needed to bolster our numbers, and also we needed to find a goalie. The goalie, G, is Maggot 2's best friend, and was previously the attacking mid-fielder and captain of the team (being a Liverpool fan, he would like to be called the Gerrard of our team), so not someone we naturally wanted to lose from the field by him going in goal. Our main coach was not keen at all, but in the end he relented, and G took the number 1 shirt, and he has done a fantastic job. He is a little smaller than average for the age, so size might be an issue, however he is a fantastic shot-stopper (indeed, we won our last tournament because of his saves in the penalty shootout), he has a big kick*** and he, obviously, is also a footballer, so is another player at the back when we have to work it round the back up the opposite wing.
So, we lost him from the outfield team, but managed to sign up three new players, all of which have some skill and potential, and have fitted in to the team well.
Otherwise, it will hopefully be a fairly relaxing weekend, with some football and some dancing on the TV.
I hope you are well, and have a great weekend. Speak next week.
============================
* To be frank, she was not right, but felt she had to go in coz she had the Auditors in for the rest of the week
** Certainly how we will be describing it on his CV
*** Another change this year is that the opposition no longer need to retreat to the half-way line for goal kicks. This has made the goal kick a real danger, with the attacking team able to gain a big advantage if the keeper has a small kick or is indecisive
Friday, 30 September 2016
Health
Health is, as we all know, the only thing standing between each of us and death. i.e. it is pretty important.
That seemed mildly amusing when I wrote it, but hard to follow that with tales of unwellness in Scobi Towers without sound an alarm. Nothing to worry about, no-one near to their last breath, but we are all under the weather just a little bit. Both Maggots had a couple of days off at different times, LO is struggling, and even I, paragon of virtue*, have a sore throat and that "a few degrees under" feeling.
Nevertheless, it is a timely reminder, especially at this time of year, that we must all do what we can to keep well, to keep fit, to eat well, to drink plenty of the good stuff (boring old water) and not so much of the bad stuff (lovely beer and wine).
This weekend, health permitting, we will have football, drumming and, on Friday evening, for the older members of the clan, an evening out with David and Samantha, which we are really looking forward to, a chance to catch up on life, and possibly to reminisce on our holiday, the traces of which can still be found at the bottom of our respective sock drawers.
Talking of drumming, Maggot 1 will have to move his drumming lesson to Friday evening, because he has a job. His old tennis coach contacted him asking if he wanted to be his Boy Friday, or rather Boy Saturday, helping out with junior tennis lessons on Saturday morning. This came out the blue, but was rather flattering for Harvey, and an opportunity he has snapped up with indecent haste. He has wanted a way to earn some money for a while, and this is an opportunity he cannot, and has not, turned down. It will also look good on his CV, for when he applies for university (since it is no longer enough to have straight A+ results, one must also have volunteered, or climbed Mount Everest, or indeed spent some time as a junior tennis coach).
Talking of CVs, I have grasped an opportunity to go in to Maggot 1's school to help out with CV writing and interview techniques. I have wanted to do some kind of volunteering, using my supposed experience to help nippers, and so when this was announced at the recent Year 10 evening, I grasped it with both hands. I am really looking forward to helping out - I just hope that I have something useful to give.
Well, that is me done. Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
=============================
* hmmm. Ed.
That seemed mildly amusing when I wrote it, but hard to follow that with tales of unwellness in Scobi Towers without sound an alarm. Nothing to worry about, no-one near to their last breath, but we are all under the weather just a little bit. Both Maggots had a couple of days off at different times, LO is struggling, and even I, paragon of virtue*, have a sore throat and that "a few degrees under" feeling.
Nevertheless, it is a timely reminder, especially at this time of year, that we must all do what we can to keep well, to keep fit, to eat well, to drink plenty of the good stuff (boring old water) and not so much of the bad stuff (lovely beer and wine).
This weekend, health permitting, we will have football, drumming and, on Friday evening, for the older members of the clan, an evening out with David and Samantha, which we are really looking forward to, a chance to catch up on life, and possibly to reminisce on our holiday, the traces of which can still be found at the bottom of our respective sock drawers.
Talking of drumming, Maggot 1 will have to move his drumming lesson to Friday evening, because he has a job. His old tennis coach contacted him asking if he wanted to be his Boy Friday, or rather Boy Saturday, helping out with junior tennis lessons on Saturday morning. This came out the blue, but was rather flattering for Harvey, and an opportunity he has snapped up with indecent haste. He has wanted a way to earn some money for a while, and this is an opportunity he cannot, and has not, turned down. It will also look good on his CV, for when he applies for university (since it is no longer enough to have straight A+ results, one must also have volunteered, or climbed Mount Everest, or indeed spent some time as a junior tennis coach).
Talking of CVs, I have grasped an opportunity to go in to Maggot 1's school to help out with CV writing and interview techniques. I have wanted to do some kind of volunteering, using my supposed experience to help nippers, and so when this was announced at the recent Year 10 evening, I grasped it with both hands. I am really looking forward to helping out - I just hope that I have something useful to give.
Well, that is me done. Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
=============================
* hmmm. Ed.
Friday, 23 September 2016
Quickie
Just a quick update this week, coz have a fair few things I need to sort out.
Work is steady, about to get very busy I think.
Home is fine. We are all a bit under the weather at the moment, mouth ulcers and general unwellness, which all sounds like run down, which is sad with so long to go until Christmas. Luckily we have half term off and will spend some high quality R&R time over that week.
We will probably have football all weekend. If Maggot 2 is picked, they have a 5-a-side tournament on Saturday, and a league match Sunday.
I have managed to sell some of my old vinyl (in the loft, some fond memories, but not actually looked at them for ten years) to fund a new PC for my remixing, and it is fantastic, must bigger and faster than the old machine.
That is all for now. Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
Work is steady, about to get very busy I think.
Home is fine. We are all a bit under the weather at the moment, mouth ulcers and general unwellness, which all sounds like run down, which is sad with so long to go until Christmas. Luckily we have half term off and will spend some high quality R&R time over that week.
We will probably have football all weekend. If Maggot 2 is picked, they have a 5-a-side tournament on Saturday, and a league match Sunday.
I have managed to sell some of my old vinyl (in the loft, some fond memories, but not actually looked at them for ten years) to fund a new PC for my remixing, and it is fantastic, must bigger and faster than the old machine.
That is all for now. Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
Friday, 16 September 2016
Wedding Bells
We are at a wedding this weekend. This involves an hour drive to the church, via a local Sainsbury's to have a coffee and get changed in the toilets, so we are crease-free as we arrive at the church. It is then about an hour's drive to the venue, which is also where we are staying the night. The up-side is that this is actually only about half an hour from home.
The wedding is for LO's cousin. To be honest, we do not see him very often, once a decade or so, but his side of the family is very spartan, so we are in a sense making up the numbers. The fact that his bride is Ghanain, with a massive Ghanain family behind her, makes the contrast all the more so.
Nevertheless, we are looking forward to a night away, to nice food, and not having to cook, wash up or any other of those usual daily tasks. We will also be able to spend some time with the in-laws and Gee Gee (great grandma).
The Maggots both have their outfits - Maggot 1 a suit and tie (which will be used again during his upcoming work experience week), and Maggot 2 a jacket, a shirt that is "tight like the footballers wear" and a trendy bow tie. Biased I most certainly am, but they will make a handsome pair of young men . . . right up until the knee-slides start.
This means no football this weekend, which may be a blessing. They were beaten 9-0 last weekend, and while the team that beat them is one of the best in the league, our best performance would usually give them a good game. The trouble was, we did not give anywhere near our best performance; it was, rather, dire.
The coach was not there to see it first hand, but by training on Wednesday, he had heard about it second hand, and he has decreed that until they start playing as a team, they cannot wear their team shirts. This means that for the match on Sunday, the team will wear shorts and socks from their kit, but not the shirt - the orders are to wear anything, and then they will be given bibs to make them the same colour. Unconventional, but I suspect it does at least get the point across. Let's hope it works.
That is all for now. Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
The wedding is for LO's cousin. To be honest, we do not see him very often, once a decade or so, but his side of the family is very spartan, so we are in a sense making up the numbers. The fact that his bride is Ghanain, with a massive Ghanain family behind her, makes the contrast all the more so.
Nevertheless, we are looking forward to a night away, to nice food, and not having to cook, wash up or any other of those usual daily tasks. We will also be able to spend some time with the in-laws and Gee Gee (great grandma).
The Maggots both have their outfits - Maggot 1 a suit and tie (which will be used again during his upcoming work experience week), and Maggot 2 a jacket, a shirt that is "tight like the footballers wear" and a trendy bow tie. Biased I most certainly am, but they will make a handsome pair of young men . . . right up until the knee-slides start.
This means no football this weekend, which may be a blessing. They were beaten 9-0 last weekend, and while the team that beat them is one of the best in the league, our best performance would usually give them a good game. The trouble was, we did not give anywhere near our best performance; it was, rather, dire.
The coach was not there to see it first hand, but by training on Wednesday, he had heard about it second hand, and he has decreed that until they start playing as a team, they cannot wear their team shirts. This means that for the match on Sunday, the team will wear shorts and socks from their kit, but not the shirt - the orders are to wear anything, and then they will be given bibs to make them the same colour. Unconventional, but I suspect it does at least get the point across. Let's hope it works.
That is all for now. Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
Friday, 26 August 2016
Hot
The weather and me. Hotter than hot. My office has a number of bits of kit; my work laptop as well as my home computer, on which I mostly do my remixing. I also now have powered monitors, and they throw out some heat. So, even without the external influences, my office can be pretty warm. This will work fine Autumn in to early Winter I think, when I anticipate no need for any heating. However, right now, it just makes things a little bit more uncomfortable.
Work is picking up now. I have two deals assigned to me this week, and the first one alone will be 50-80% of my time. I need to busy, so this is good.
At home, we have a long weekend, then I have Thursday and Friday off to go to Golden Cap, so next week will be a very short working week.
This weekend, football starts are our new home, which is a local private school, which has permanent goals setup, plus an all-weather pitch (not sure yet if it is astro or 4g, hoping the latter). Maggot 2 has new boots, decent leather boots this time, and he cannot wait to play in them. The are "mini sock" boots, and if that means nothing to you, then you should probably look it up. Think Messi sock boot (come on, everyone is wearing them) but not as long, indeed a mini sock version of them.
Otherwise, I have some DIY round the house to complete, and some beer to drink.
I hope you have a great long weekend, and speak next week.
Work is picking up now. I have two deals assigned to me this week, and the first one alone will be 50-80% of my time. I need to busy, so this is good.
At home, we have a long weekend, then I have Thursday and Friday off to go to Golden Cap, so next week will be a very short working week.
This weekend, football starts are our new home, which is a local private school, which has permanent goals setup, plus an all-weather pitch (not sure yet if it is astro or 4g, hoping the latter). Maggot 2 has new boots, decent leather boots this time, and he cannot wait to play in them. The are "mini sock" boots, and if that means nothing to you, then you should probably look it up. Think Messi sock boot (come on, everyone is wearing them) but not as long, indeed a mini sock version of them.
Otherwise, I have some DIY round the house to complete, and some beer to drink.
I hope you have a great long weekend, and speak next week.
Monday, 22 August 2016
Oops
Still obviously carrying some of the holiday vibe, having missed doing my Friday blog. Sorry about that.
My first week back was uneventful. Things have not fully picked up yet, so it was a steady and relatively uneventful week.
On the home front, we are still all in shock not to be on holiday any more. This holiday was so good that it is going to take longer than usual to recover. We did not win the Euro Lottery on Friday, so we are yet to be the owners of a Mallorcan villa, but the general feel-good vibe is still fizzing away.
We have even continued to play games sometimes in the evenings. Texas Hold'em is our current favourite. The basic rules are understood - though it still vexes Maggot 2 that three of a kind beats two pairs - but I think the poker faces are gonna take some time to develop.
My home mixing is going quite well. One single was released on 5th August, a New York label, for a song called Shapetracer - Scobi New York Mix. Of course it goes without saying that it will not be to everyone's taste, but I am proud of it none the less. I had to provide some details about the song, so wrote this piece of waffle, which is both pretentious and true, both at the same time:
I actually think I am finding my niche now with the music. I have joined a closed Facebook group called Mix Critique, where you can post remixes for feedback, and where you can also provide feedback on other people's mixes. I have been doing a lot of You Tube learning on various aspects of music making, most of it technical stuff, and am probably now at the stage when at least I know what I don't know. Nevertheless, the whole subject is very daunting. Being on the Mix Critique site, I suddenly feel like I know something, which is nice.
One final comment. Yesterday, for the first time in about a month or more, I work both socks and long trousers. It was a momentous occasion and one that I hope not to repeat for a long time to come.
Have a great week, and (hopefully) will speak again Friday.
My first week back was uneventful. Things have not fully picked up yet, so it was a steady and relatively uneventful week.
On the home front, we are still all in shock not to be on holiday any more. This holiday was so good that it is going to take longer than usual to recover. We did not win the Euro Lottery on Friday, so we are yet to be the owners of a Mallorcan villa, but the general feel-good vibe is still fizzing away.
We have even continued to play games sometimes in the evenings. Texas Hold'em is our current favourite. The basic rules are understood - though it still vexes Maggot 2 that three of a kind beats two pairs - but I think the poker faces are gonna take some time to develop.
My home mixing is going quite well. One single was released on 5th August, a New York label, for a song called Shapetracer - Scobi New York Mix. Of course it goes without saying that it will not be to everyone's taste, but I am proud of it none the less. I had to provide some details about the song, so wrote this piece of waffle, which is both pretentious and true, both at the same time:
The sound is urban, the growl of people and traffic, of machinery and life. Suddenly you turn a corner and the noise is dimmed. You look through a window to see a ballet lesson, or a choir rehearsing, the growl of the city still audible. As turn another corner, you are back in the noise and the heat and the energy.I also have two other singles which are original mixes that have been signed up by a Florida label (Del Sol Records). In contrast to the New York mix, which is gritting and a bit industrial just like the city, the two that Del Sol have taken up are more deep house - mellower, as befits a place where the sun shines quite a lot.
I actually think I am finding my niche now with the music. I have joined a closed Facebook group called Mix Critique, where you can post remixes for feedback, and where you can also provide feedback on other people's mixes. I have been doing a lot of You Tube learning on various aspects of music making, most of it technical stuff, and am probably now at the stage when at least I know what I don't know. Nevertheless, the whole subject is very daunting. Being on the Mix Critique site, I suddenly feel like I know something, which is nice.
One final comment. Yesterday, for the first time in about a month or more, I work both socks and long trousers. It was a momentous occasion and one that I hope not to repeat for a long time to come.
Have a great week, and (hopefully) will speak again Friday.
Monday, 15 August 2016
Was that really two weeks?
We are back. It is so obvious a statement that it need not be said, but when have I let that stop me. The time really did go way too quickly.
We had a most fantastic time. The villa was outstanding - we have a few suggestions for improvement, but they are mostly about it being a fairly new property on the rental market, so time will tell.
The route to the villa was "interesting". We turn off the Mallorcan equivalent of an A road on to a cinder track, which is not terrible, but had a fair few ruts. It is uphill all the way, and we were in first gear for the whole drive. We took a wrong turn on the first approach (or rather we did not take a turn we should have taken) and had to turn round in someone else's property. The final turning took us on to a track that was so wild-looking, we simply did not believe that our property could possibly be at the end. But it was, and when it appeared, it was like a mirage.
The property is in a wooded area, with the nearest property being several hundred metres away. Indeed, as we went in to the second week, we were rudely awoken by noise that sounded like a bunch of red-necks having a wild forest party, high on hooch and readying to attack us in our beds. In fact, it was simply some exuberent Germans in one of the villas near to us, making a fairly normal, if excited, amount of noise as they enjoyed their pool, and some unspecified variety of the local hooch. That was a measure of how little we had to intereact with other people, which is just as we like it.
We travelled a day early, simply to save seven-hundred pounds on the flights, and so stayed at a hotel sourced by David and Samantha. It turned out to be a converted monestry on top of the highest hill in the area (a probably modest 500m above sea level), with two massive crosses either side of it (think Rio statue size). We could see it from half an hour away, having the thought that it could not possibly be our accommodation for the night. It was though, and the journey to it was, as already said, rising 500m, on a road that is about 5km long, which means a lot, and I mean a lot, of bends. We were in second gear all the way and it was not fun for the passengers of my car. That is an under-statement.
We finally arrived at the top, checked in and got our first beer, sitting on the terrace, with a view to die for. We had several hours to kill the next day, having to checkout by 10am, and not able to get in to the villa (or so we thought) until 3pm. We we found some shade and played cards, and the men walked to the two crosses.
We visited the supermarket on the way to the villa, and arrived at the gates at 2.55pm, only to be told by the lead cleaner that we could not come in until 4pm. It seems that the email we had from Vintage Travel to say we could check in an hour early did not reach the team on the ground. We negotiated a wait on the outside seats while they finished their work. Just before 4pm, the lead lady told us it was ready, and we had a quick tour, before we were then getting our costumes on for our first swim, the first of many.
Although we could not see it from the villa, we were literally in the shadow of one of the crosses of the monestary. Indeed, we could have walked about 300m downhill from said cross to get to the boundary fence of our property.
What followed was two weeks of swimming, heat, fun, drinking, eating (oh yes, we fully embraced the Mediteranean diet), and some visiting of amazing places.
One day, we drove to Soller (north of Palma) to take an old-fashioned train to Palma, which was one of the recommendations of LO's parents. We had read some comments on the train and the advice was to do the trip in this order, to avoid the crowds. It was good advice. The train was built in 1918 and it was the same as it always was. At one point, we were in the longest tunnel, which was uphill all the way, and being taken slowly by the train. At one point, the train could not get traction on the rails, they being wet, the speed being slow, and the route being uphill. We kept having to roll back ten or twenty metres to take another run up at the troubling section of track. This was not a pleasant experience. It was topped by the jovial guard coming through the train telling us "no panico". That was the point when several of our group woke up and took notice. Anyway, after about twenty minutes, we did get moving and completed the journey to Palma. It was worth it, because the terrain was amazing and the views fantastic.
Once in Palma, we walked about a bit, got a little light lunch, and then returned to the station to take the return train, only to miss it by four minutes, leaving us with an hour and a half wait for the next one. Let me tell you, there are only so many games of I-Spy you can play before the inside of your heads starts to scream.
Once back in Soller, we took a separate tram down to Soller Port, which was beautiful. The tram itself was rammed, and such situations seems to bring the worst out of people. The port iteself was lovely, and we did some boat-spotting, more precisely we were agreeing which boat we would get with our Lottery winnings, and we had a lovely ice-cream before taking the tram back to our car.
Other days were to the beach. Many of the Mallorcan beaches are coves. Relatively small amount of sand at the back, with rocks down each side to the mouth of the cove. They are beautiful, and great fun. The one we preferred was actually one of the more built up areas, but it had the best snorkelling, and the rock jumping was great fun, with ladders able to take us back to the jump spot.
We really fell in love with Mallorca, and over several evenings were planned how we would spend our Lottery win to buy a property there. On the subject of property, it seems that Mallorca is pretty expensive, certainly for villas with pools. We estimated that the one we were staying at probably cost between 1.2 and 1.5m Euros, and to be honest, we would not want anything less than that for our own property. We just need that win.
That is probably more than enough for one blog. Let's speak again on Friday, when I can tell you all about what I have been missing at work. I know, you cannot wait.
We had a most fantastic time. The villa was outstanding - we have a few suggestions for improvement, but they are mostly about it being a fairly new property on the rental market, so time will tell.
The route to the villa was "interesting". We turn off the Mallorcan equivalent of an A road on to a cinder track, which is not terrible, but had a fair few ruts. It is uphill all the way, and we were in first gear for the whole drive. We took a wrong turn on the first approach (or rather we did not take a turn we should have taken) and had to turn round in someone else's property. The final turning took us on to a track that was so wild-looking, we simply did not believe that our property could possibly be at the end. But it was, and when it appeared, it was like a mirage.
The property is in a wooded area, with the nearest property being several hundred metres away. Indeed, as we went in to the second week, we were rudely awoken by noise that sounded like a bunch of red-necks having a wild forest party, high on hooch and readying to attack us in our beds. In fact, it was simply some exuberent Germans in one of the villas near to us, making a fairly normal, if excited, amount of noise as they enjoyed their pool, and some unspecified variety of the local hooch. That was a measure of how little we had to intereact with other people, which is just as we like it.
We travelled a day early, simply to save seven-hundred pounds on the flights, and so stayed at a hotel sourced by David and Samantha. It turned out to be a converted monestry on top of the highest hill in the area (a probably modest 500m above sea level), with two massive crosses either side of it (think Rio statue size). We could see it from half an hour away, having the thought that it could not possibly be our accommodation for the night. It was though, and the journey to it was, as already said, rising 500m, on a road that is about 5km long, which means a lot, and I mean a lot, of bends. We were in second gear all the way and it was not fun for the passengers of my car. That is an under-statement.
We finally arrived at the top, checked in and got our first beer, sitting on the terrace, with a view to die for. We had several hours to kill the next day, having to checkout by 10am, and not able to get in to the villa (or so we thought) until 3pm. We we found some shade and played cards, and the men walked to the two crosses.
We visited the supermarket on the way to the villa, and arrived at the gates at 2.55pm, only to be told by the lead cleaner that we could not come in until 4pm. It seems that the email we had from Vintage Travel to say we could check in an hour early did not reach the team on the ground. We negotiated a wait on the outside seats while they finished their work. Just before 4pm, the lead lady told us it was ready, and we had a quick tour, before we were then getting our costumes on for our first swim, the first of many.
Although we could not see it from the villa, we were literally in the shadow of one of the crosses of the monestary. Indeed, we could have walked about 300m downhill from said cross to get to the boundary fence of our property.
What followed was two weeks of swimming, heat, fun, drinking, eating (oh yes, we fully embraced the Mediteranean diet), and some visiting of amazing places.
One day, we drove to Soller (north of Palma) to take an old-fashioned train to Palma, which was one of the recommendations of LO's parents. We had read some comments on the train and the advice was to do the trip in this order, to avoid the crowds. It was good advice. The train was built in 1918 and it was the same as it always was. At one point, we were in the longest tunnel, which was uphill all the way, and being taken slowly by the train. At one point, the train could not get traction on the rails, they being wet, the speed being slow, and the route being uphill. We kept having to roll back ten or twenty metres to take another run up at the troubling section of track. This was not a pleasant experience. It was topped by the jovial guard coming through the train telling us "no panico". That was the point when several of our group woke up and took notice. Anyway, after about twenty minutes, we did get moving and completed the journey to Palma. It was worth it, because the terrain was amazing and the views fantastic.
Once in Palma, we walked about a bit, got a little light lunch, and then returned to the station to take the return train, only to miss it by four minutes, leaving us with an hour and a half wait for the next one. Let me tell you, there are only so many games of I-Spy you can play before the inside of your heads starts to scream.
Once back in Soller, we took a separate tram down to Soller Port, which was beautiful. The tram itself was rammed, and such situations seems to bring the worst out of people. The port iteself was lovely, and we did some boat-spotting, more precisely we were agreeing which boat we would get with our Lottery winnings, and we had a lovely ice-cream before taking the tram back to our car.
Other days were to the beach. Many of the Mallorcan beaches are coves. Relatively small amount of sand at the back, with rocks down each side to the mouth of the cove. They are beautiful, and great fun. The one we preferred was actually one of the more built up areas, but it had the best snorkelling, and the rock jumping was great fun, with ladders able to take us back to the jump spot.
We really fell in love with Mallorca, and over several evenings were planned how we would spend our Lottery win to buy a property there. On the subject of property, it seems that Mallorca is pretty expensive, certainly for villas with pools. We estimated that the one we were staying at probably cost between 1.2 and 1.5m Euros, and to be honest, we would not want anything less than that for our own property. We just need that win.
That is probably more than enough for one blog. Let's speak again on Friday, when I can tell you all about what I have been missing at work. I know, you cannot wait.
Thursday, 28 July 2016
Nearly there
My working world has come to a natural pause, so I am fairly relaxed as I get through my last working day. That is also why I am double-blogging.
We are in pretty good shape. The whole family have had a haircut, and we have layed out all our clothes. Note "layed out" rather than packed. We seem to be unusual in that our preference is not to pack, but to lay out. Then we pile it into the suitcases at the last minute; for us that is tonight.
The reason we do this is to avoid the "did I pack the blue shorts?" problems. By laying out everything, and piling them in to the cases last minute, we avoid that, and can use our packing list* to check we have everything.
It works for us.
Maggot 1, father-in-law (F-i-L) and I went to watch Pompey play Bognor Rocks last night. This is a warm up match for Pompey, and a very good earner for The Rocks. Pompey won 4-1. It was a great evening of football. We were ten metres from the manager, Paul Cook, and could hear every word he said. And boy did he say a lot. F-i-L says that he is always like that, he being a season-ticket holder so sees a lot of games. It was fascinating listening to his fairly constant narration. One amusing moment was when one of the strikers did not close down a defender**, rather lazily leaving it for the other striker. Immediately afterwards Paul Cook was shouting "work harder, close him down" several times, in several different ways. The player did not make that mistake again.
The family is getting excited now, and I am also starting to believe that tomorrow will actually arrive.
One more day, and I can wear my new hat.
And my speedos***.
Come on.
==========================================
* Oh yes, we have a list
** It seems to be part of his team instructions that the front men aggressively close down defenders and keeper
*** Only joking, I could not inflict that on the world, my family or my friends
We are in pretty good shape. The whole family have had a haircut, and we have layed out all our clothes. Note "layed out" rather than packed. We seem to be unusual in that our preference is not to pack, but to lay out. Then we pile it into the suitcases at the last minute; for us that is tonight.
The reason we do this is to avoid the "did I pack the blue shorts?" problems. By laying out everything, and piling them in to the cases last minute, we avoid that, and can use our packing list* to check we have everything.
It works for us.
Maggot 1, father-in-law (F-i-L) and I went to watch Pompey play Bognor Rocks last night. This is a warm up match for Pompey, and a very good earner for The Rocks. Pompey won 4-1. It was a great evening of football. We were ten metres from the manager, Paul Cook, and could hear every word he said. And boy did he say a lot. F-i-L says that he is always like that, he being a season-ticket holder so sees a lot of games. It was fascinating listening to his fairly constant narration. One amusing moment was when one of the strikers did not close down a defender**, rather lazily leaving it for the other striker. Immediately afterwards Paul Cook was shouting "work harder, close him down" several times, in several different ways. The player did not make that mistake again.
The family is getting excited now, and I am also starting to believe that tomorrow will actually arrive.
One more day, and I can wear my new hat.
And my speedos***.
Come on.
==========================================
* Oh yes, we have a list
** It seems to be part of his team instructions that the front men aggressively close down defenders and keeper
*** Only joking, I could not inflict that on the world, my family or my friends
Nearly there
My working world has come to a natural pause, so I am fairly relaxed as I get through my last working day. That is also why I am double-blogging.
We are in pretty good shape. The whole family have had a haircut, and we have layed out all our clothes. Note "layed out" rather than packed. We seem to be unusual in that our preference is not to pack, but to lay out. Then we pile it into the suitcases at the last minute; for us that is tonight.
The reason we do this is to avoid the "did I pack the blue shorts?" problems. By laying out everything, and piling them in to the cases last minute, we avoid that, and can use our packing list* to check we have everything.
It works for us.
Maggot 1, father-in-law (F-i-L) and I went to watch Pompey play Bognor Rocks last night. This is a warm up match for Pompey, and a very good earner for The Rocks. Pompey won 4-1. It was a great evening of football. We were ten metres from the manager, Paul Cook, and could hear every word he said. And boy did he say a lot. F-i-L says that he is always like that, he being a season-ticket holder so sees a lot of games. It was fascinating listening to his fairly constant narration. One amusing moment was when one of the strikers did not close down a defender**, rather lazily leaving it for the other striker. Immediately afterwards Paul Cook was shouting "work harder, close him down" several times, in several different ways. The player did not make that mistake again.
The family is getting excited now, and I am also starting to believe that tomorrow will actually arrive.
One more day, and I can wear my new hat.
And my speedos***.
Come on.
==========================================
* Oh yes, we have a list
** It seems to be part of his team instructions that the front men aggressively close down defenders and keeper
*** Only joking, I could not inflict that on the world, my family or my friends
We are in pretty good shape. The whole family have had a haircut, and we have layed out all our clothes. Note "layed out" rather than packed. We seem to be unusual in that our preference is not to pack, but to lay out. Then we pile it into the suitcases at the last minute; for us that is tonight.
The reason we do this is to avoid the "did I pack the blue shorts?" problems. By laying out everything, and piling them in to the cases last minute, we avoid that, and can use our packing list* to check we have everything.
It works for us.
Maggot 1, father-in-law (F-i-L) and I went to watch Pompey play Bognor Rocks last night. This is a warm up match for Pompey, and a very good earner for The Rocks. Pompey won 4-1. It was a great evening of football. We were ten metres from the manager, Paul Cook, and could hear every word he said. And boy did he say a lot. F-i-L says that he is always like that, he being a season-ticket holder so sees a lot of games. It was fascinating listening to his fairly constant narration. One amusing moment was when one of the strikers did not close down a defender**, rather lazily leaving it for the other striker. Immediately afterwards Paul Cook was shouting "work harder, close him down" several times, in several different ways. The player did not make that mistake again.
The family is getting excited now, and I am also starting to believe that tomorrow will actually arrive.
One more day, and I can wear my new hat.
And my speedos***.
Come on.
==========================================
* Oh yes, we have a list
** It seems to be part of his team instructions that the front men aggressively close down defenders and keeper
*** Only joking, I could not inflict that on the world, my family or my friends
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